The proliferation of personal computing devices in recent years, especially mobile personal computing devices, combined with a growth in the number of widely-used communications formats (e.g., text, voice, video, image) and protocols (e.g., SMTP, IMAP/POP, SMS/MMS, XMPP, etc.) has led to a communications experience that many users find fragmented and restrictive. Users desire a system that will provide ease of communication by sending an outgoing message created in whatever format was convenient to the composer, with delivery options to one or more receivers in whatever format or protocol that works best for them—all seamlessly from the composer's and recipient(s)'s perspective. With current communications technologies that remain “protocol-centric”—as opposed to “message-centric”—such ease of communication is not possible.
In the past, users of communications systems first had to choose a communication format before composing a message or selecting desired recipient(s). For example, a user must pick up a telephone before calling someone, or a user must launch a text or email application before composing the text or email, etc. And, while text might be the most convenient format at the time for the composer, text may not be convenient for the receiver—resulting in a delayed receipt of the message by the receiver. With the multi-format communication composition techniques described herein, however, the user flow is much more natural and intuitive. First, the user can select the desired recipient(s). Then, the user may compose the outgoing message (in any format). Next, the system (or the user, in some embodiments) chooses the delivery protocol for the communication, e.g., whether the communication is going to be sent via email, SMS, IM, or social media, etc. Finally, the outgoing message is converted into the desired outgoing message format (either by the user's client device or a central communications system server) and sent to the desired recipient(s) via the chosen delivery protocol(s).
According to the multi-format communication composition techniques described herein, the emphasis in the communication interface is on the “who” and the “what” of the communication—but not the “how.” The multi-format communication composition system described herein takes care of the “how”—including an ‘Optimal’ option, which may be employed to deliver the outgoing communication to the desired recipient(s) in the most preferred way, e.g., either through preferences that the recipient has specified via his or her profile in a multi-format communications network or through the communication protocol information regarding the desired recipient that is stored in the sender's contact list. This system could use information such as calendar information showing whether the recipient is in a meeting, recipient position or motion information (e.g., whether the recipient is driving, walking, sleeping, etc.), or historic communication patterns as a way to determine format or protocol.
Messages sent through the multi-format communications network described herein may reach participants of the group in traditional formats or protocols or, with ‘on-network’ recipients, in their preferred format or protocol. With group messages in particular, users desire a system wherein the incoming messages adapt seamlessly to the preferred format and/or protocol of the respective recipient, while maintaining desired levels of security and/or encryption.
The subject matter of the present disclosure is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems set forth above. To address these and other issues, techniques that enable seamless, multi-format secure group communications via a single user interface are described herein.